Asteroid Manifest

The docking point for all incoming refugees and reports bound for the Guild, always packed and staffed.

Tala sniffed the air curiously. Surely there would be many smells here!

James looked pretty excited, although he was suddenly remembering that he didn't much like open spaces. Ooops.

Luka moved beside James and looked at him reassuringly. "focus on the people and the crowds rather than looking up." She advised him quietly.

Kay looked around warily.

Matt looked around. "wow it's crowded. It's like a proper space port!"

The Swarm spread out but remained around the group as instructed, looking out over people's heads at everything they could.

Mourn bounded along with the rest.

Armin seemed oddly composed. The chaos of this place was familiar to him.

James smiled at Luka and focused on the people. "Right," he said, forcing his eyes away from the sky, "Thanks."

Ethan sneaked out, hiding behind Tala sort of. He didn't like this much.

Mourn noticed Ethan and slowed his pace so Ethan and Tala caught up with him. "Why hiding?" He asked loudly. "you no like paperwork?"

"I don't like crowds," Ethan muttered. He also didn't like the possibility of ending up mired in primeverse android politics, or being studied for being from the other universe, but he wouldn't say that. Eeew, paperwork. Dang it.

Asher tried to get used to hearing the word 'paperwork' being used in its usual context. It was actually kind of weird.

"You be okay, I no let them hurt you." Mourn nodded.

Kay actually looked amused by the paperwork thing, at least till he caught sight of Starr and immediately flinched. Yeah... this was awkward. when it was a private joke it was funny, when someone else was in on it it started to feel... kinda sordid.

The peacekeepers and Arya led the group to the lines, and would depart them with a firm goodbye and goodluck. It'd take a few minutes but they eventually got to the front of the queue, where they were greeted with a lavishly pink woman, her entire body covered with the brightly covered dress made of a genuine flower, larde and beautiful, the bell like plant being part of her. Bright blue irises greeted them with glee.

"Welcome, welcome!" She cheered in a bubbly manner, obviously taking her job oh-so-seriously. "My name is Flora, and I'll be your Guide for your stay. So I just got here, uhm... Right!" She clapped and suddenly bubbles popped in from know where. Each one held a ring of flowers, a lei for each passenger. The bubbles floated over and would pop overhead of each person. Sara was nearly crushed but thanked the thought of it.

"I have a thing for flowers." She exclaimed cheerfully. Suddenly her hands were filled with pamphlets. She began handing them out. They were informational maps and whatnot, though she paused suddenly, and looked over to her right as if she heard something.

From across the busy sector, stood a massive creature with stormy gray fur covering his entirety. It was at least seven feet tall and rippled with muscular strength, a tabard of a wolf with claws that shredded at the jagged white embroidery stretched across the inhumanly broad chest.

The lupine head with intensely amber orange eyes stared at Kaylr, and something seemed to click in their Caretaker's head and Kay was handed an extra pamphlet with a large full moon in the center of the folds, long loopy words reading out in common: Stormhowl.

"Our next full moon is in eleven days," she said kindly, smiling in apologies, "That pamphlet will help decide how you wish to go about that."

She turned to Esk, giving him an extra pamphlet as well. "Your arcana is all over the place. I'm assuming you have a... mild lack of control over anything in particular?" His was of a dark violet, and the front was littered with the words School of Learning: The Arts of Affliction Magic

The androids were handed pamphlets that informed them of the current controversy regarding their Tier and to be warned that they may have some occurring difficulties, and also offered a list of unusual "program additions" that had many names that included an asterisk that coincided with *Drakkan and Technomagi metmagics implied.

The general pamphlets showed maps, enticing sightsees and many generic descriptions into the schools. She gave another pamphlet to Armin. "This map will help you get situated with a more efficient way to make your breathing comfortable, if you're okay with that. Anyone want anything in specific I could offer before we get to the boring part?" She then asked to everyone else.

Ethan stared at the lei he had been given. What. Just what.

Ellie looked utterly charmed. "Oh my gosh, your dress is amazing. I wanna do that! That's so cool!" She patted her lei fondly and they flowers curled toward her fingers happily.

Asher was too distracted by Kay whose sickness appeared to have been noticed, to really pay mind to hims pamphlets. He looked worried. James flipped through the pamphlets curiously though.

Esk looked unimpressed with the flower woman, and even less happy with the flowers which wilted as soon as they made contact with his skin. He quirked an eyebrow. "I don't get on well with plants." He spoke flatly, with the very hint of threat in his tone.

Kay stared at the wolf man, tensing and then down at the pamphlet. He looked distinctly uncomfortable with all this. Having people able to just look at him and know was extremely unsettling. He nodded vuagely and tucked the pamphlet away to read later, in private.

Esk looked at the wolf man too and his eyes narrowed slightly. Eugh, wolves. He looked at his own pamphlet, school? Yeah he looked utterly unimpressed. "Why are you helping strangers?" He asked.

Armin bowed his head graciously and took the pamplet, thanking the woman politely. "you are too kind." He told her.

Luka looked tense.

Mourn just looked amused and decided the lei made a good chew toy. He nibbled on the petals.

"we don't think you should do that." Swarm warned him. "Many flowers are quite toxic to felines."

Mourn shrugged and continued to chew and stood on his tiptoes to look at Ethan's pamphlet.

Matt tried to get a look at that pamphlet of Kay's before he put it away.

Flora smiled widely at Ellie. "Thank you, Miss. If you're really a fan of plants may I suggest the School of Nature: Floral?" She suddenly pursed her lips slightly in thought and looked at Esk. Momentarily they were lifted from his shoulders, before they glowed green, promptly reflourishing with life. Suddenly each individual flower was bubbled, and the now string of bubbled flower was lain protectively back down on Esk. Hah! Not even you can escape the flowers!

"We help those who come here in order so that they can better themselves." Flora explained, "The ways of the Guild is to always better yourself and improve -- strive to be a perfect being."

She smiled sourly, "That was the old saying anyway, that stuck. Really, we're here to help just to help and be the best people we can."

The androids' pamphlets consisted on a number of programs and upgrades, including Advanced Drakkan Android Metamagics*(listed under were several different varieties of simple magics such as telekinesis and usable holographic excess arms) as well as Eathereal Detection -- see the supernatural with your own eyes!

Esk glowered at the flowers as if their presence personally offended him and tried to pop the stupid bubbles. "Why do we have to wear these?"

"Because they look fetching?" Matt grinned. "Cheer up baby bro, they're just flowers."

"I hate flowers." Esk said.

"Magitech?" Mourn asked curiously.

"Drakkan were quite advanced in their understanding of magic and technology fused as one." Swarm helpfully informed him.

"Perfect beings?" Esk rolled his eyes. Now THAT sounded arrogant. "So you're just nice for the sake of being nice? I don't buy it."

Kay shot his brother a warning glare.

Esk shrugged. "Let's go fill out forms then." He muttered.

"Oooh that sounds awesome, thanks!" Ellie looked delighted. She wanted to know ALL the plant magic!

Strive to be a perfect being. Ethan snorted and shook his head. These people were bizarre. He held his pamphlets so Mourn could see them better. They were full of freaky stuff.

James looked somewhat interested, but he wasn't sure he trusted strangers to go into his OS, thank you very much.

Mourn found the idea facinating, but more in a pragmatic technical kind of way. He was curious about the HOW.

"Perhaps a less cynical view of the universe might open her mind more." She giggled at Esk's annoyance as the bubbles were as hard as glass and refused to budge.

She led them to the stations to fill out forms. Most of them were your pretty straightforward registrar and medical information, however a few questions stood out:

Can you use magic? If yes, please describe your specialization and level of ability.

Are you affected by magic?

Are you affected by Telepathy or can use Telepathy? WARNING: Telepathy users may be slightly overwhelmed the first few hours upon entering the Guild as Telepathy is commonly used as communication between the guards and may experience echoing.

Currently several eathereal beings (A.K.A. "Ghosts") as well as Grims reside in the Guild Territory. Would you be willing to undergo an inducing spell or program allowing you to interact with them?

The androids filled out the forms saying that they couldn't use telepathy, and weren't interested in any program changes to talk to ghosts. None of them really wanted to have their brains changed just yet.

Ellie wrote about whether she could use magic, [HECK YEAH, self trained MAGIC NOOB BADASS]

Tala stared at her form in confusion until Asher went and helped her to fill it out. She had him that she could use telepathy.

"It's not cynical, it's realistic." Esk told her flatly. He'd fill out the stupid forms though, struggling a little bit as his brain kept trying to switch into runes. Damnit, he didn't usually have to actually write stuff.

Matt adjusted his glasses and read the form. "uh.. question.. what are the ghosts and what's the spell or program? like.. what does it entail?"

Kay read all this and was glad he'd remembered to bring painkillers. He was gonna have a headache wasn't he? great.

Mourns form was chaotic. His name was extremely long, and a lot of his basic stats were complete guesses.
He didn't seem to care though, he just wrote any ol' thing in the boxes he didn't know the answer to.

He was pretty adamant that no, he did not want any reprogramming.

Swarm couldn't fill out forms themselves, Mourn did it for them after filling out his own.

"What you say?" He looked amused as he wrote in awkward child-like writing "Lots of bugs, telepathic, talk a lot. Illusionary shape changer. level moderate?"

Luka filled out her form warily, she like Esk struggled a little and wrote very very slowly. "Why do they need all this information?" She asked. "you seem to already know an awful lot about us."

Armin sedately filled out the form. Magic use: Vavare weaving, minor enchantments.
He felt a little sorry for the telepaths, Kay particularly looked quite miserable already.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." She told Esk simply, shaking her head but smiling still. She noticed the difficulty Esk and Luka were having. "If it helps, I can put in a notice to have someone fluent in your native writing look over your scripts?

"The ghosts are the volunteer workers of the Affliction Necromancy branch of research." She explained to Matt, suddenly looking apprehensive. "The Guild has an agreement with the Grim Reapers to allow spirits that volunteered to be used for Necromancy research upon their deaths to remain in the material realms as ghosts. Not many are fond of Necromancy, but I suppose if both sides are satisfied..."

She looked over all the telepathy yes's wincing. "I could... call for some provisions and painkillers to be headed our direction, if you all need?"

Finally she turned to Luka, smiling kindly. "We only know of general populace. Individuals aren't accurately attained in our scout's reports unless they're particularly important for any reason. This is just protocol to ensure your stay is comfortable and enjoyable as you allow it to be."

"I can block out telepathic noise well," Tala said, "I will be all right." Her telepathy was more something she had to turn on, than something she had to block out, thank goodness.

"Wait... dead people's like.. spirits.. they donate themselves to necromancers? isn't that a bit like... letting your body be raised as a zombie?" Matt asked, oh that was creepy.

[Technically worse, if it's their spirits then it's their very essence of self denied oblivion. Why would anyone volunteer for that?]
Kay looked at their guide. [We usually carry a decent stock of painrelievers on us, but it... may be prudent.] He glanced to Thalia, who seemed particularly prone to serious telepathic migraines.

Luka looked apprehensive but she switched into Satare to finish the form, it was quicker.

Esk didn't, he continued to write slowly in common out of spite mostly. Yeah he wasn't going to hurry through this.
"What do they do with the ghosts?" he asked nonchalantly, not taking his eyes off the form.

"What affliction necro mancy?" Mourn asked.

"Necromancy is the magic of the dead, and undead." Swarm helpfully told him.

"Undead like.. alive?" Mourn asked.

Swarm shook their head. "No, undead as in dead but walking around like the living. " "Vile magic" "has some uses..." "still unnatural." "you could argue the same of any magics that seek to alter the fabric of reality." they argued with themselves.

"but.. what does the spell involve? like.. does someone just come over and do a whole chanting thing and bam, we can see dead people or what?" Matt asked.

Flora shrugged, "It is not our decision to decide why they want to be a ghost or not. We can't force it on them. Not only is it morally bankrupt to do so, the Grims would be furious with us. Still, a magic branch is still magic, and should be studied.

"Oh, nothing much. The ghosts get plenty of downtime to float around the Territory, but when requested they're tested, such as questioned about their state of mind, how they feel if they feel anything at all, their connection to the material realms and whatnot. Apparently they haven't gotten any volunteers for being an animated corpse... just ghosts and poltergeists." Flora thought about that, grimacing slightly. She addressed Matthew again. "Oh, it's a very simple spell, but it does have to be renewed every time you wake from sleep. However here that shouldn't be too hard, especially since I'm your assigned Caretaker. Any who's finished, just place it on the pad."

There was a rectangular pad in the center of the table, and whenever a piece of paper was laid on it, it'd suddenly fade out of existence as it was sent somewhere else.

Kay looked horrified at the idea of people volunteering to be lab rats after death. [What do the ghosts get out of the deal?] He asked. Because an eternity floating around as a ghost didn't sound like a great bargain.

"Maybe they're too scared to just die." Esk suggested dully. "you know some cultures and their whole eternal damnation fears right?"

"Yes many cultures do have a mythology involving punishment or reward after death. One could imagine... if you expected punishment, perhaps remaining in the material realm would be preferable." Armin added his form to the pad. "I would be curious to encounter them, at least once. Perhaps you could ask them these questions yourselves?" He suggested sedately.

"We met a zombie once." Swarm said. "A most wretched and miserable being. He wasn't supposed to be a zombie, but the spell failed, it only brought him half back. A soul, trapped within it's own decaying corpse. We can think of little more horrific."

Asher shuddered at Swarm's story. That was ...unpleasant.

"If I sit on the table, will I disappear like the paper?" Ellie asked, watching as people put pieces of paper on it. She didn't care about ghosts and zombies, okay?

"Don't sit on the table Ellie! We need you here! not in some boring sorting office" Matt laughed.

"Maybe only a paper sized chunk of you would disappear." Esk suggested calmly as he finally finished his form. "now that would be unpleasant."

"I would not advise standing on the pad if you are not used to teleportation." Flora said with a shake of her head, "You'll also startle a few poor souls that are just trying to get their jobs done.

"Well, when the ghosts get tired, they are allowed to 'pass on' as many people put it with the help of the Grims."